ALBUM REVIEW: Vertigo – Zakk Sabbath
There is something wholly ridiculous about the concept of ZAKK SABBATH, a BLACK SABBATH tribute band led by long-time OZZY OSBOURNE axeman Zakk Wylde (if you couldn’t guess from the band name). Therefore, it is only fitting that the outfit’s first official studio release is equally offbeat in premise. Vertigo sees Zakk and his star-studded cohorts, Blasko (also of OZZY OSBOURNE fame) and Joey Castillo, performing BLACK SABBATH’s debut album in its entirety. It’s a brave move to cover one of the most influential and respected rock albums of all time, let alone one that is often credited with being the most definable genesis point of heavy metal as a genre, and the result is certainly a trip.
Having said that, your familiarity with Vertigo‘s material may vary depending on your point of origin. The album features the altered track listing of the US release, which sees some slight tweaks to the original UK pressing. In lieu of Evil Woman, we have the SABBATH-penned Wicked World (known as a B-side to the former) and a handful of other tracks are presented almost as medleys (although you’d be hard-pressed to tell much of a difference as the album flow remains much the same).
What is immediately clear from the off is that this is a labour of love. Whilst carrying the weight and texture of more modern production sensibilities, the resounding feeling of Vertigo is one of pure and authentic homage which proves both a blessing and a curse. ZAKK SABBATH’s dedication to recreating the original album faithfully leaves little room for the kind of surprises a cover album might normally turn up.
Opportunities for the band members to put their own imprint on the album are rare and relatively muted, so dedicated they are to respecting heavy metal metal history. The biggest innovation ZAKK SABBATH bring to this classic record is an added sense of looseness. Recorded live in the studio, ZAKK SABBATH occasionally take the opportunity to delve more in to jam band territory than on the original release, adding extended but subtle flourishes to songs – enough to keep things interesting, but nothing that overstays its welcome. NIB provides a great example of this, its ending stretching out and leaning in to more guitar noodling than the original and giving us a glimpse of the Zakk Wylde we know best. However, besides Wylde’s lead guitar playing, only the biggest of die-hards will be able to dissect the exact differences in arrangements.
Indeed, even then Wylde shows a lot of restraint in his leads across the album, avoiding his trademark pinch harmonics and instead channelling a Shrapnel Records-inspired Tony Iommi. It’s not until the final track, A Bit Of Finger / Sleeping Village / Warning, that Zakk lets rip with some over-the-top blues-infused shredding. Overall, things remain more tasteful than you might expect from the BLACK LABEL SOCIETY axeman.
Beyond these few moments however, proceedings remain deftly faithful – even vocally. Wylde’s Ozzy Osbourne impression throughout is surprisingly on-point. While his voice brings a little more natural grit to the vocal lines, Wylde capably affects that tone of other-worldly panic that was so defining of early Osbourne. The rhythm section are of course no slouches either, with Castillo and Blasko providing a driving backdrop for Wylde to riff over, but again there is little deviation from the album’s original blueprint.
On an intellectual level then, Vertigo feels almost redundant. Yet, for all its rigid faithfulness to the original product, there is something charming about the record. Material like The Wizard will never age, but to hear some warm blood pumped in to these songs does wonders to help the classics feel fresh all over again. Ultimately, with ZAKK SABBATH you have a group of musicians at the top of their game performing timeless songs written by the forefathers of heavy metal. What Vertigo lacks in innovation, it more than makes up for in performance and passion, with Wylde and his crew doing the 1969 classic proud as they storm through it. Considering the band’s concept, that sort of seems the point and, in that regard, Vertigo is a resounding success. The result is a curio, but if the first BLACK SABBATH album holds a place in your heart, then this is a fitting tribute by musicians who clearly feel the same way.
Rating: 7/10
Vertigo is set for release on September 4th via Magnetic Eye Records.
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